Dynamic tear meniscus parameters in complete blinking: insights into dry eye assessment

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent condition affecting ocular surface health.
• Understanding tear dynamics is crucial for diagnosing and managing DED.
• Current diagnostic methods may not fully capture the dynamic nature of tear film changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between dynamic tear meniscus parameters and dry eye.
• To utilize an automated tear meniscus segmentation method for objective parameter measurement.
• To explore the potential of these dynamic parameters as biomarkers for DED.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of tear meniscus videos from 38 participants captured within 5 seconds post-blink.
• Calculation of parameters: average tear meniscus height, upper boundary curvature, and total area.
• Linear fitting of dynamic parameter values to assess trends related to DED.

Main Results:

• The central tear meniscus height increased over time in 94.74% of samples.
• Tear meniscus height and area increased from nasal to temporal sides in 97.37% of samples.
• Upper boundary curvature of the tear meniscus aids in identifying and assessing dry eye severity.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic tear meniscus parameters offer valuable insights into dry eye.
• Automated, non-invasive methods can effectively measure these parameters.
• These findings have implications for improved clinical assessment of dry eye disease.